Page 345 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
Sunday…Sunday is going to be the day. Coach and I both have a day off. Casey is going to invite him to breakfast with her, and if it all goes well, I will then join them for dinner later in the day. Or if it all goes wrong, I may be packing up my house and getting ready for my trade to the East Coast, as far away from Casey as Coach can get me. Only time will tell…
The second my cell buzzes on the table, I leap up, swiping the screen as I go, running out of the noisy hotel bar so I can hear her properly.
“Hey, baby. How are you doing?”
Her pained sigh on the other end tells me everything I need to know.
Finding a couch in the corner of the quiet lobby, I block everything out and focus solely on her.
“I wish I was there,” I say honestly, hating the miles separating us.
“Me too. What are you doing?”
“Been having a drink with the guys. You know, for a bunch of assholes, they can be fun.”
She laughs. “Don’t let Linc hear you say that.”
“Casey?”
“Yeah.”
“I just want you to know that you make me a better person.”
“Kodie,” she whispers, her voice cracked with emotion.
“It’s true. Everything in my life has gotten better since the night of the ball.”
“I agree. Stealing Dad’s ticket was the best decision I ever made.”
Exhausted from our overnight flight, I silently slip into Casey’s apartment. I planned to go home to see Sutton and take her to school. But Casey needed me more.
I messaged Mom to make sure she was okay doing the school run should I not return in time. She didn’t ask why, but I can assume she knows.
I don’t want to wake her, but she’s going to need support today, and I’m more than happy to slip into her bed and hold her until she feels strong enough to get up.
There’s a niggling awareness that something is wrong as I pad toward her bedroom. I figure it's just her sadness making the apartment feel cooler than usual. But the second I step into her room, I discover the reason.
“Casey?” I call as my hand slides across the wall to find the light switch.
I blink back against the brightness, but I find what I already knew as my vision adjusts.
Her bed is empty, and Casey is nowhere to be found.
But there is only one place she could be.
82
CASEY
My cheeks burn and my chest heaves as I bring myself to a stop in the middle of the rink.
I couldn’t sleep.
Memories of Mom were spinning around my head, morphing with how badly I was missing Kodie.
I really need him today. Hell, I needed him last night. Having his voice in my ear was nice. But it wasn’t enough.
In the end, I gave up trying to get any rest. And I knew I wouldn’t cope being confined to my apartment, so I pulled on a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and a hoodie, and after making myself a very strong coffee, I grabbed my skates and my stick and headed here.
